Ford Delivers Best Hybrid Sales Quarter Ever; Grows Its Market Share and Attracts New Customers to the Brand

by Staff Report

Ford Motor Company set a record for hybrid sales in the second quarter of 2013, with sales of 24,217 vehicles – up 517 percent over last year and up 15 percent over the first quarter of 2013 – as demand grows in markets across the United States and as more Toyota and Honda customers trade in their vehicles for a Ford.

It is Fordâ€™s best-ever quarter for hybrid vehicle sales and the first time the company sold more than 24,000 hybrids in a quarter. Fordâ€™s share of the U.S. electrified vehicle market grows to nearly 16 percent in the first half of 2013 â€“ a 12-point gain over last year.

Fueling the growth is increasing demand for Ford C-MAX and Ford Fusion hybrid vehicles in California and other new hybrid markets. For example, demand also increased more than 1,000 percent in New York. Chicago saw an 840 percent gain, while hybrid sales rose almost 730 percent in Seattle and close to 500 percent in Washington, D.C. More than 60 percent of U.S. customers are coming from non-Ford brands, with Toyota and Honda vehicles the top competitive trade-ins.

â€śCustomers have come to expect fuel economy and leading technology with every new vehicle Ford delivers,â€ť said Jim Farley, executive vice president, global marketing, sales and service and Lincoln. â€śOur newest hybrids are contributing to Fordâ€™s growth and share gains, while bringing new customers into the showroom in nontraditional hybrid markets.â€ť

Through June 2013, Ford sold more than 46,000 electrified vehicles. The companyâ€™s strong product lineup has led to Fordâ€™s U.S. market share growing at a faster rate than competitors â€“ gaining nearly a full percentage point through the first half of the year.

Already Fordâ€™s most fuel-efficient sedan, the all-new Fusion Energi has an EPA-rated total range of up to 620 miles and the ability to drive 21 miles in electric-only mode â€“ nearly triple the electric-only range of plug-in hybrids from Toyota and Honda.

Ford Fusion Hybrid is Americaâ€™s most fuel-efficient midsize hybrid with an EPA-estimated rating of 47 mpg city, highway and combined, up to 6 mpg better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid combined. The all-new Lincoln MKZ Hybrid delivers an EPA-rated 45 mpg city, highway and combined â€“ making it Americaâ€™s most fuel-efficient luxury sedan.

After successfully completing the feasibility and development of the hybrid system project with Toyota, Ford is moving forward on its own with development of a rear-wheel-drive hybrid system for Ford pickups and SUVs.

The new hybrid system â€“ which will be available by the end of this decade â€“ will be based on an all-new architecture to deliver the capability truck and SUV customers demand while providing greater fuel economy.

â€śWe know what it takes to build world-class hybrids, and we now will build and leverage that expertise in-house,â€ť said Raj Nair, group vice president, global product development. â€śBy continuing to develop a rear-wheel-drive hybrid system on our own, we can extend our advanced hybrid technologies to new vehicle segments and deliver even better fuel economy across our lineup.â€ť

While collaboration on the rear-wheel-drive hybrid has concluded, Ford and Toyota will continue to work together on development of next-generation standards for in-car telematics, back-end support systems for call centers and Internet-based services â€“ all designed to bring more Internet-based information to consumers globally.

Preparing for the future

To meet increasing demand for hybrids, Ford is hiring more than 200 new electrification engineers and expanding its research facilities to speed development of hybrid and electrified vehicles. Ford also continues to bring in-house more of the development of its most advanced vehicles. This includes the design and engineering of transmissions, batteries and control systems, along with work on the rear-wheel-drive hybrid system.

Fordâ€™s continued accelerated work in hybrids is a key component of the companyâ€™s Blueprint for Sustainability and plays an important role in delivering leading fuel economy.

Within the last year, Ford has invested more than $355 million to design, engineer and manufacture key components for its electrified vehicle lineup.

An additional $50 million investment in research and development facilities will double Fordâ€™s electrification battery-testing capabilities, helping to speed electrified vehicle development by as much as 25 percent.